𝗶 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗶'𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 (𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧) | 𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙣

vi

The unusual silence in the gymnasium was what Hanbin noticed first when he walked inside again. His students had all been picked up to go home, and now it was time for him to clean up. They did physical exercises this past afternoon, so Zhang Hao and him put together an obstacle race for the kids, to practice their balance and agility.

After what happened in the morning, saying that things between Zhang Hao and Hanbin got awkward was an understatement. And it was not only on Hanbin's side, because he could sense that Zhang Hao was tenser this past afternoon than during the morning. He hadn't stopped to dwell on it. Had they broken that somewhat stable relationship they had built for the past month? He hoped not, but seeing how Zhang Hao barely spoke to him this afternoon made him question it.

It was the second time they almost kissed, so why was it so awkward this time? A few possibilities crossed through Hanbin's mind, but none of them were capable of explaining this situation. And the more he thought of the possibility of Zhang Hao and him kissing, the more he felt warmth all over his body.

Hanbin jumped, startled at the sound of the door shutting down. He slightly turned to look behind him, only to find Zhang Hao walking inside the gymnasium. Who else could it be, Hanbin asked himself. They were probably the last teachers at school now, since it was starting to get late.

Without speaking to each other, they started to pick up the mattresses and benches they used earlier. If another teacher had been in the same room, they sure would have felt uneasy, with how they both avoided the other's look and tried to set as much distance between them as possible, which was the complete opposite of how they usually behaved around each other. The gymnasium was dead silent, aside from the various sounds of the objects being moved around and put back in place. If it wasn't for that, Hanbin was sure Zhang Hao could have been able to hear his heart pounding in his chest because of how nervous he was.

'Why are you avoiding me?'

Fifteen minutes had passed in this awkward silence, though for Hanbin it felt more like fifteen hours, when Zhang Hao spoke for the first time, startling him. He had come up from behind his back when Hanbin was busy stacking the mattresses back where they were stocked.

'I'm not avoiding you.' Hanbin replied, still rearranging the mattresses.

- 'Yes you are.' Zhang Hao said in an accusatory tone. 'It's been six hours since you last talked to me, and yes I kept track of it.'

Hanbin stayed silent. Learning the fact that Zhang Hao wasn't ignoring him because of what happened in the morning, but that he did it because he ignored him first perplexed him. Thinking about it, wasn't it just Hanbin who was snubbing Zhang Hao and not the opposite? He did not think about this at first and was quick to assume what was on Zhang Hao's mind. The thought that the fact they almost kissed could not bother Zhang Hao brushed past Hanbin's mind.

'So, why are you ignoring me?' Zhang Hao continued. 'Is it because of this morning? Or, let me guess, is it because of this, plus because we almost kissed last week? God, why are you acting like such a virgin.'

Hanbin stayed silent once again because he was afraid his heart could jump out of his body by his throat if he dared to speak. That just made Zhang Hao sustain his momentum.

'I thought I made it pretty clear that I was interested in you. That I am interested in you. if you're not, you could have just said it directly.'

Hanbin had almost dropped the heavy mattress he was handling on his foot. For the first time since this conversation started, he stopped to avoid Zhang Hao and turned over, to look him straight in the eye.

The latter was busy fiddling with the sleeves of his navy blue cardigan, and his ears were clearly redder than usual. When Hanbin looked at him, suddenly it was his turn to be extremely interested in the box of cushions not far from him.